38.5m Ultra-HD TVs to ship in 2018

In light of swift reductions in pricing, analytics firm IHS has boosted its forecast for Ultra-HD liquid-crystal display (LCD) television sets. IHS now predicts 38.5 million Ultra-HD LCD TV sets will ship in 2018, up from 1.5 million in 2013, according to the TV Systems Intelligence Service at IHS. Shipments will fly up more than 500 per cent to reach 10 million in 2014.

“While television brands will show off their massive new ultra-high-definition sets at CES, the real focus for U-HD makers in 2014 will be cost reduction,” said Jusy Hong, senior analyst for consumer electronics and technology at IHS. “Lower pricing will enable the market to expand — but U-HD sets still have a long way to go before they command a major share of the overall market. In 2018, U-HD will account for only about 16 per cent of all LCD TV shipments.”